One Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunner shot down three Shaheds in three days
Serhiy, a Ukrainian soldier, destroyed three Russian Shahed attack drones in three days. He shot down two drones on Ukraine’s Independence Day during a massive attack on the Odesa region, and another one on August 26.
A soldier from the 639th Separate Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion successfully engaged Russian drones three times over the course of a few days. Serhiy’s combat operations were highlighted by the “South” Air Command. He destroyed the first two Shahed drones on August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day. On that day, Russia launched a massive attack on the Odesa region, and Serhiy used a portable anti-aircraft missile system to shoot down two strike drones at once.
The soldier did not stop there. On August 26, he went back on combat duty and destroyed a third Shahed drone over the Odesa region. The released footage shows the moment of combat action and the destruction of the Russian drone. Serhiy is 39 years old and hails from the Vinnytsia region. He joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Prior to serving with the mobile fire group, Serhiy had combat experience on the eastern front. He fought in the Donetsk region, specifically participating in the battles for Bakhmut and serving in the Chasiv Yar area. Since the fall of 2023, he has been defending Ukraine’s skies in the south of the country. His primary mission is to detect and destroy enemy air targets.
From a Machine Gun to a MANPADS
At first, Serhiy took down aerial targets using a large-caliber machine gun. Later, he mastered the man-portable air defense system and began using it to combat Russian drones. According to the soldier, operating the MANPADS is somewhat new to him compared to using a machine gun. However, his experience has already allowed him to destroy about two dozen aerial targets. “I’ve been working with the man-portable air defense system a little less than with the machine gun, but I’ve already taken down about twenty targets,” Serhiy said.
The soldier notes that constant training is an important part of his job. Anti-aircraft gunners must regularly hone their skills, as Russian forces continue to use attack drones to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. “We train constantly and hone our skills—it’s essential because the enemy doesn’t stop its attacks,” he added.
The “South” Air Command noted that after shooting down two “Shaheds” on Independence Day, Serhiy destroyed another Russian jet drone just two days later. Thus, in just three days, he had three downed Shahed drones to his credit. For the anti-aircraft gunner, this was yet another result of his daily work to defend the Ukrainian skies. The Southern Air Command released a video of the combat operation.
The Russians launched 29 attacks on the Pokrovsk sector over the past 24 hours.
On August 23, Russian terrorist forces attacked Ukraine’s railway infrastructure five times. One person was killed and four others were wounded as a result of the strikes.
On August 23, Russian forces attacked the locomotive of passenger train No. 147, traveling from Zhytomyr to Odesa, with a jet-powered drone. The train was stopped and passengers evacuated before the strike, so neither passengers nor railway workers were harmed.
